# 1897 in Wales

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1897 to Wales and its people.

## Incumbents

* Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Hwfa Môn
* Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey – Sir Richard Henry Williams-Bulkeley, 12th Baronet
* Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire – Joseph Bailey, 1st Baron Glanusk
* Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire – John Ernest Greaves
* Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire – Herbert Davies-Evans
* Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire – John Campbell, 2nd Earl Cawdor
* Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire – William Cornwallis-West
* Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire – Hugh Robert Hughes
* Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan – Robert Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth
* Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire – W. R. M. Wynne
* Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire – Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort
* Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire – Sir Herbert Williams-Wynn, 7th Baronet
* Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire – Frederick Campbell, 3rd Earl Cawdor
* Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire – Powlett Milbank
* Bishop of Bangor – Daniel Lewis Lloyd
* Bishop of Llandaff – Richard Lewis
* Bishop of St Asaph – A. G. Edwards (later Archbishop of Wales)
* Bishop of St Davids – Basil Jones (until 14 January); John Owen (from 1 May)

## Events

* January – Sir Owen Morgan Edwards founds the periodical Heddyw, published in Wrexham.
* 9 April – The Snowdon Mountain Railway resumes operation, a year after a fatal accident on its maiden run.
* c. May – The Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway opens.
* 13 May – Guglielmo Marconi sends the first ever wireless communication over water, from Lavernock Point to Flat Holm.
* 2 June – The first Jubilee Bridge (Queensferry) across the River Dee is opened by William Gladstone.
* 20 June – Celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee is muted in Nonconformist parts of Wales, as the date falls on a Sunday.
* July – The Grand Theatre, Swansea, is opened by Adelina Patti.
* 30 September – Inauguration of Beacons Reservoir water supply to Cardiff.
* 9 October – Opening of the Tal-y-cafn Bridge across the River Conwy.
* November – Four Customs officers are rescued from the River Usk, near Newport's Alexandra Dock pier-head after their boat capsizes.
* 12 November – Llanfyllin County School is opened by Mrs. John Marshall Dugdale and becomes the sixth Intermediate School in Montgomeryshire. Politician Clement Davies is one of the first pupils.
* unknown dates
** A roller coaster erected on Barry Island, origin of Barry Island Pleasure Park.
** Construction work is completed on the Pierhead Building as offices for Cardiff Docks.
** Weaver's Mill, Swansea, a flour mill and corn storage depot, becomes the first building in the UK to be constructed from reinforced concrete, by L. G. Mouchel of Briton Ferry.
** Merthyr Tydfil is refused a town charter; it is eventually granted one in 1905.
** Opening of the Canterbury Building at St David's College, Lampeter (demolished in 1971).
** Edgeworth David leads the Royal Society's expedition to the coral atoll of Funafuti.

## Arts and literature
### Awards

National Eisteddfod of Wales – held at Newport
* Chair – John Thomas Job, "Brawdgarwch"
* Crown – Thomas Mafonwy Davies, "Arthur y Ford Gron"

### New books
#### English language

* Owen Rhoscomyl – The White Rose of Arno
* John William Willis-Bund – The Celtic Church of Wales
* Alfred Neobard Palmer – Owen Tanat

#### Welsh language

* Caniadau Cymru (anthology)
* John Cadvan Davies – Caneuon Cadvan
* Ellis Pierce – Teulu'r Gilfach

### Music

* Walford Davies – Overture in D minor
* Llyfr Hymnau a Thonau y Methodistiaid Calfinaidd (collection of hymns)

### Film

* Arthur Cheetham begins making films in Wales.

## Sport

* Rugby Union – Due to an argument with the International Football Rugby Board the Welsh Rugby Union withdraws from the organisation and Wales do not play international rugby for 12 months.
* Swimming – The Welsh Amateur Swimming Association is founded. The first Welsh championships take place, with events for men only.

## Births

* 3 April – Frank Evans, dual-code international rugby player (died 1972)
* 5 April – Ness Edwards, politician (died 1968)
* 21 April – Albert Stock, Wales international rugby player (died 1969)
* 22 June – Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar (died 1959)
* 21 August – Victor Nash-Williams, archaeologist (died 1955)
* 28 September – Harry Beadles, Wales international footballer (died 1958)
* 15 November – Aneurin Bevan, politician (died 1960)
* 31 December – Rhys Williams, politician (died 1969)

## Deaths

* 14 January – William Basil Jones, Bishop of St David's, 75
* 30 January – Sarah Thomas, centenarian, 109
* 3 February – David Pugh Evans, songwriter, 31
* 2 March – Evan Owen Phillips, Dean of St David's, 70
* 1 April – William Gwynn, Rugby union international
* 16 April – Thomas Lewis, Welsh-born Australian politician, 75
* 10 May – Walter Evans, footballer, about 30
* 12 May – Thomas Llewellyn Thomas, linguist, 56
* June – Hugh Jones, Archdeacon of St Asaph, 81
* 1 September – John Griffiths, Archdeacon of Llandaff, 77
* 6 September – Thomas Rees Morgan, engineer, 63
* 8 September – James Milo Griffith, sculptor, 54
* 16 September – Edward Edwards (Pencerdd Ceredigion), musician, 83
* 20 September – Hugh Morris, footballer, 25 (tuberculosis)
* 15 October – Charles John Vaughan, former Dean of Llandaff, 81
* 12 November – Isaac Evans, trade union leader and politician, 49 (post-operative complications)
* 24 November – Arthur James Herbert, Quartermaster-General, 77
* 2 December – Thomas Lewis, politician, 76
* 4 December – Griffith Rhys Jones ("Caradog"), choral conductor, 62